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Boris Johnson has been accused of “undermining” his own climate conference minister Alok Sharma by failing to back him up with ambitious UK commitments at Cop26.Labour said the target of keeping global warming within 1.5C was in “intensive care” following the agreement reached by world leaders at the end of the Glasgow summit.The opposition claimed the prime minister had left his Cop26 president in a weak position, because of the government’s overseas aid budget cut and the failure to stop UK fossil fuel projects.Writing for The Independent, shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband said the government must “learn the lessons of what we didn’t succeed in doing in Glasgow” – pointing out that Britain still holds the Cop presidency over the next year.“It’s time finally to say no to the proposed new coal mine in Cumbria and end the plan for the new Cambo oil field, which is the equivalent of running 18 new coal-fired power stations for a year,” Mr Miliband wrote.He added: “We should rewrite our trade deal with Australia, not to dilute the temperature goals as the government has been doing, but to strengthen it to put 1.5 degrees at its heart.”Deputy leader Angela Rayner also criticised Mr Johnson’s failure to be there in the conference’s final hours to help Mr Sharma push China and India to make a stronger commitment to end dependence on coal.“Boris Johnson could have done more to be there, and to make sure that in that room at those vital opportunities that [he would] be able sway the opinion,” Ms Rayner told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show.She added: “We saw Alok Sharma doing his utmost. But Boris Johnson has undermined some of our efforts by using fossil fuels, the investment in the that, by the cutting of overseas aid. There’s much more we can do to set an example globally.”In a dramatic last-minute intervention at the Glasgow summit, India and China were able to change the wording of the final deal so coal power generation would be “phased down” rather than “phased out”.Mr Sharma – who appeared to break down briefly as he apologised to delegates and campaigners for the late change – claimed on Sunday that the weakened deal still represented progress. “We kept 1.5 in reach,” he said.Labour’s shadow Ed Miliband also accused Mr Johnson’s government of “undermining” Mr Sharma. “I have nothing but praise for Alok Sharma. But I’m afraid the rest of the government didn’t help him and undermined him with decisions like cutting overseas aid,” he told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday .The Labour frontbencher added: “Because we were then saying to other countries, ‘Please step up on climate finance’, when we were stepping back on aid to poorer countries.”Mr Johnson and Mr Sharma will be grilled over the climate deal agreed in Glasgow at a press conference later on Sunday. The pair will be answering questions about the global pact at Downing Street at 5pm. More

Cop26 president Alok Sharma has denied the climate pact agreed by world leaders was a failure and defended the “historic” language on a commitment to reduce coal dependence.In a dramatic last-minute intervention at the Glasgow summit, India and China were able to change the wording of the final deal so coal power generation would be “phased down” rather than “phased out”.Mr Sharma – who appeared to break down briefly as he apologised to delegates and campaigners for the late change – claimed on Sunday that the weakened deal still represented progress.“This is the first time ever that we have got language about coal in a Cop decision – I think that is absolutely historic,” the UK minister told BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show.Asked if the pact amounted to a failure to meet ambitions, Mr Sharma said: “I wouldn’t described what we did yesterday as a failure. It’s a historic achievement. We kept 1.5 in reach.”Asked about his emotional apology in Glasgow, Mr Sharma said: “On a personal level, I have invested enormous amounts of the last two years into this … I’d had about six hours sleep in 72 hours previously, so it was an emotional moment.”However, the Cop26 president did condemn China and India – saying they would have to “explain themselves” to countries most at risk from the climate emergency.Mr Sharma said: “There were certain countries that did not want coal language in this compact. We had interventions from China and India in terms of changing the wording … China and India are going to explain themselves to the most climate vulnerable countries in the world.”Defending his role in the late, behind-the-scenes language change on coal, Mr Sharma explained: “My job was to build consensus. At the end of the day, the reason we were able to get this over the line is because over two years my team and I have built trust among countries around the world.”Meanwhile, many of the countries most vulnerable to climate were angry that a proposed funding facility to pay for loss and damage from extreme weather events floods was kicked into the long grass.UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said the “compromise” deal had failed to achieve many of the Cop26 goals – including ending fossil fuel subsidies, putting a price on carbon, and making good on a long-standing promise for $100bn a year of support for developing countries.“Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread,” said Mr Guterres following the end of the summit. “We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe.”But Mr Sharma insisted the final pact was “historic” and said the Glasgow climate summit had achieved its goal of keeping global warming within 1.5C “within reach”.“I can tell you that I have had lots of messages since last night from ministers in many of those [climate vulnerable] countries, thanking us for what the UK has done,” he told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme. “For the fact we’ve closed off the Paris rulebook, for the fact that there is more money on the table to support them,” he added.“This is a start. We’ve got one year of our presidency, we need to make it count and that means we need to hold countries to account for the commitments that we were made and those commitments have to be translated into action.”The UN’s climate change chief Patricia Espinosa said on Sunday that 1.5C target was still “definitely alive” after the conference in Glasgow.She told the BBC: “We are very far from that goal, but we did manage to get together this big package of different decisions that … gives us very, very specific direction on what we need to work on in order to get there.”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the two-week summit was a “missed opportunity”, claiming the prime minister was partly to blame for its limited achievements.Mr Johnson and Mr Sharma will be grilled over the climate deal agreed in Glasgow at a press conference later on Sunday. The pair will be answering questions about the global pact at Downing Street at 5pm. More

Watch live as Remembrance Sunday marked at CenotaphThe Prime Minister’s former mistress Jennifer Arcuri has claimed that he had allegedly overruled advice of his staff in 2013 to promote her business and make her “happy”.The American entrepreneur wrote handwritten diary entries that have now been published by The Observer.According to one entry, Boris Johnson – the then Mayor of London – had asked Ms Arcuri, who was about 27 at the time: “How can I be the thrust – the throttle – your mere footstep as you make your career? Tell me: how I can help you?”The newspaper reported that the claims could reopen the possibility of Mr Johnson facing a potential criminal investigation into misconduct allegations.In 2019, it had been revealed that Ms Arcuri’s ethical hacking business Hacker House received a £100,000 government business grant that was later deemed “appropriate” after a government investigation.Responding to the latest revelations, a government spokesperson said that Mr Johnson “followed all the legal requirements” when mayor.It came amid more than a week of constant sleaze allegations made against a number of Tory MPs.The latest Opinium poll for the Observer shows Labour now holding a one-point lead over the Tories for the first time since January this year.Yesterday, a ComRes Savanta poll for The Daily Mail showed Labour with a six-point lead over the Tories.Show latest update

1636898418Army head worried about Eastern Europe border conflictThe Chief of Defence staff has admitted he is worried about the situation on the border between Belarus and Poland after Britain sent in armed forces to “show unity” with Warsaw.General Sir Nick Carter said migrants were being pushed by Minsk “on to European Union borders” to try and destabilise the region, in a scenario he described as being straight out of the “Russian playbook”.A large number of migrants, many from the Middle East, are in a makeshift camp on the Belarusian side of the border, with Polish authorities daily reporting new attempts by the migrants to cross the divide.Sir Nick, asked on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show whether he was worried that the situation could quickly escalate into “something really serious”, replied: “Yes, I think I am.“I think this is a classic case of the sort of hybrid playbook where you link disinformation to destabilisation and the idea of pushing migrants on to the European Union’s borders is a classic example of that sort of thing.”It comes as Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urged Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to intervene in the “shameful manufactured migrant crisis” unfolding in eastern Europe.Reporting by PALamiat Sabin14 November 2021 14:001636895855PM to hold press conference on Cop26 todayPrime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a press conference at Downing Street on the final outcome of the UN Cop26 climate summit at 5pm today, No 10 has confirmed.He will be joined at the briefing by summit president Alok Sharma.It comes after the international event was heavily criticised for producing a “watered down” agreement on how to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.Labour accused Mr Johnson of “undermining” Mr Sharma by failing to back him up with ambitious UK commitments at Cop26.Adam Forrest has the full story hereLamiat Sabin14 November 2021 13:171636893041Rayner wants to discuss use of language with PMLabour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has called for a meeting with PM Boris Johnson over use of language.She told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show: “I have asked Boris Johnson to meet with me because I did lay some serious allegations, because of his past comments I have said about them being homophobic, racist and misogynist, and I have asked for him to meet with me to discuss that because I actually think all of us have a responsibility around our language.“I have apologised for using that language (Tory “scum”), I absolutely stand by that apology, but I do think that others including the Prime Minister should apologise for the language that he’s used in the past which has led to public discourse as well.”Lamiat Sabin14 November 2021 12:301636890146Party leaders hold poppy wreaths alongside former PMsLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer and PM Boris Johnson at the Cenotaph for the Remembrance Day event to remember those who lost their lives in world wars. More

Kosovo is holding runoff municipal elections on Sunday in almost two-thirds of the country after the center-right opposition parties dominated in the first round.About 1.26 million voters in the small Balkan nation on Sunday will be eligible to cast ballots in the second round to elect mayors in 21 out of 38 municipalities. Turnout in the first round was 43.5%, slightly less than four years ago.Voting was peaceful. The governing left-wing Self-Determination Party, or Vetevendosje!, of Prime Minister Albin Kurti has won no mayoral post so far, though it is ahead in the capital Pristina where it has nominated its former health minister, Arben Vitia. The center-right opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo of former independence fighters, the Democratic League of Kosovo and the Alliance for Kosovo’s Future have won eight mayor seats and are strong contenders for more.The Srpska List party of Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority, which is close to the Serbian government in Belgrade has won nine out of 10 seats in the northern Kosovar communes populated by that minority.Dukagjin Gorani, an independent analyst, said that a landslide loss for the governing party could have a negative impact “on the overall legitimacy of both the political party and the government.”“One might also expect early parliamentary elections, sometimes next year,” Gorani added.A European Union team is monitoring the polls. Kosovo, which has a majority ethnic Albanian population, declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia has not recognized the move. More

For most of his 27 years as Belarus’ authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko’s repressions and truculent statements frequently offended the West. This year, that belligerence is directly affecting Europe His government forcefully diverted an airliner flying between Greece and Lithuania that was carrying a political opponent. As the European Union imposed sanctions for that action, Belarus responded by easing its border controls for migrants from the Middle East and Africa, allowing them to head for the EU frontier. That has forced Poland, Latvia and Lithuania to declare a state of emergency in their border zones to halt illegal crossings. Warsaw has sent thousands of riot police and troops to bolster security, leading to tense confrontations.Lukashenko has since raised the stakes by threatening to cut off natural gas shipments from Russia that transit Belarus — a potentially severe blow to Europe as winter settles in. The moves are a dramatic escalation for Lukashenko, who became president in 1994 when Belarus was an obscure country that had existed less than three years.His disdain for democratic norms and the country’s dismal human rights record has made Belarus a pariah in the West, bringing him the sobriquet of “Europe’s last dictator.”The 67-year-old Lukashenko prefers to be styled as “Batka” — “Father” or “Dad” — a stern but wise patriarch.Although he has made occasional moves toward rapprochement with the West, Lukashenko abandoned conciliation after massive demonstrations rose up against him in 2020 following an election to a sixth term as president. The opposition, and many in the West, rejected the outcome as rigged.Tens of thousands of protesters were arrested, many of them beaten by police; main opposition figures either fled the country or were jailed; foreign journalists were driven out; and ordinary citizens reportedly were arrested for “unauthorized mass gatherings,” that included even birthday parties.By suppressing opposition through such harsh actions, along with keeping much of the economy under state control, Belarus has become a neo-Soviet outlier, wary of its thriving NATO and EU neighbors. He alternately quarreled with and cozied up to Russia.He’s noted for mercurial actions and provocative statements, which a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable assessed as outright “bizarre.”In 2006, he threatened protesters by saying he would “wring their necks like a duck.” He also attracted uneasy notice this year in a Christmas season TV interview when he let his fluffy little dog walk on the table among the festive dishes.His draconian dramatics spiked in May, when he ordered a Lithuania-bound Ryanair jetliner diverted to Minsk and arrested self-exiled opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich, who was aboard. Belarusian authorities said the action was taken after a bomb threat was made against the plane, but Western officials dismissed that as a preposterous attempt to disguise what they called an act of piracy.The strapping Lukashenko presents a tough-guy image by frequently playing ice hockey, including a spring 2020 outing where he dismissed the coronavirus by asking a TV reporter if she saw any viruses “flying around” in the arena. He also advised Belarusians to “kill the virus with vodka,” go to saunas and work in the fields to avoid infection, saying “Tractors will cure everybody!”Once well-regarded by his countrymen as an anti-corruption leader, Lukashenko lost their trust through decades of jailing opponents, stifling independent media and holding elections that gave him term after term in power.Protests had broken out after some of the balloting, but not sizable or sustained enough to long withstand club-swinging police and mass detentions. Only after the 2020 vote did his opponents seem to harness the discontent: The economic deterioration and Lukashenko’s cavalier refusal to act against COVID-19 added to their long-term dismay.The protests lasted for months, petering out only when winter set in. But authorities didn’t let up, reportedly arresting people for no obvious cause or on pretenses such as wearing clothing in the red-and-white colors of the opposition.Lukashenko was born in a Belarusian village and followed a conventional path for an ambitious provincial Soviet. After graduating from an agricultural academy, he became a political instructor in the border guard service and eventually rose to director of a collective farm. In 1990, he became a member of the Belarusian Supreme Soviet, the republic’s parliament.He was its only member in 1991 to vote against the dissolution of the Soviet Union. When he won the new country’s first presidential election three years later, he appeared in many ways to be stuck in time, keeping Belarus as an eerie and dysfunctional Soviet vestige.While neighboring ex-Soviet republics adapted to capitalism, Lukashenko kept much of the Belarusian economy under state control. That initially won him support because Belarusians did not suffer the pain of “shock therapy” economic restructuring.But ossified state control of industries couldn’t keep up with the market’s energy and flexibility; the Belarusian ruble was forced into repeated devaluations, and as of 2020, the average monthly wage was a paltry $480.The country’s main security agency retained its symbolically baleful acronym of KGB. He also pushed a referendum that made the new national flag nearly identical to the one Belarus used as a Soviet republic.Belarus still has capital punishment, unlike every other country in Europe, even echoing Soviet show-trial executions that take about two minutes in all: The prisoner is reportedly brought to a room, told all appeals have been rejected, forced to kneel and then shot in the back of the head.When Lukashenko became president, Belarus had little experience of being an independent country; as a Soviet republic, it had been a piece of other empires with only a brief attempt at sovereignty after World War I. Sandwiched between Russia to the east and reformist, Western-looking Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, Belarus was in a strategic position.Lukashenko leaned strongly east. In 1997, he signed an agreement with Russia on forming a “union state” of close economic, military and political ties, but stopped short of a full merger.The agreement bolstered the economy in Belarus, which depends heavily on Russian oil at below-market prices. But Lukashenko harbored beliefs that Russia aimed to eventually take over Belarus entirely, and he was increasingly vocal about them.As protests roiled the country in 2020 and Western pressure increased, Lukashenko had nowhere to turn for help but Moscow. Putin said he would be willing to send police to Belarus if demonstrations turned violent, but he never made that move.This year, Lukashenko and Putin announced a broad range of agreements to solidify the union state, including a joint military doctrine. Although the agreements substantially increase Russia’s influence in Belarus, Lukashenko also gains assurance of support. More

Boris Johnson refuses to apologise for handling of sleaze scandalLabour has gained a lead of six points over PM Boris Johnson’s Tories over the ongoing sleaze accusations levelled against his party.Forty per cent of people would vote for Labour in an election compared to just 34 per cent for the Tories, according to a Savanta ComRes survey conducted on Thursday on behalf of the Daily Mail.Last week, the Conservatives had a clear lead.Wednesday’s Redfield & Wilton poll put Labour two points ahead and Thursday’s YouGov poll had both parties on equal footing with 35 per cent each.Two thirds of voters now believe the Conservatives are “very sleazy”, according to the YouGov survey carried out after sleaze allegations made against a number of MPs and Lords.Last week, Mr Johnson attempted to let Tory MP Owen Paterson avoid a 30-day suspension for breaching the Commons lobbying rules. Mr Paterson resigned his position amid the backlash over Mr Johnson’s decision.Meanwhile, Matt Hancock is considering an offer to write a book on his time as health secretary during the beginning of the Covid pandemic.Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said the idea that he could be allowed to “spin” his side of the story was “absolutely disgusting”, adding that it would be an “insult” to people who have lost family and friends to the virus.Mr Hancock had quit the Cabinet earlier this year after he was exposed breaking Covid social distancing rules by having an affair with his aide at work.Show latest update

1636814451PM accused of ‘disappearing act’ in Nazanin caseBoris Johnson has been criticised for his “disappearing act” while Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is imprisoned in Iran.Labour MP Tulip Siddiq said that Mr Johnson did not visit her constituent’s husband once during his hunger strike protesting the ongoing imprisonment of his wife.She tweeted: “Will the Prime Minister take 5 minutes out of his day to visit my constituent today?”Richard Ratcliffe ended his hunger strike today on the 21st day, over health fears. He is expected to be checked by a doctor soon.Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national, has been in custody in Iran since 2016 after being accused of plotting to overthrow the government.After ending his three-week-long protest, Mr Ratcliffe said defence secretary Ben Wallace and some Labour MPs visited him at his camp outside the Foreign, Commonswealth and Development Office (FCDO).He told the PA news agency: “We’ve certainly not had the Prime Minister come. And yes I do think he has the capacity to do a disappearing act.“I think his absence this past three weeks is telling. His absence on Nazanin’s case since he became Prime Minister is reasonably telling.”Mr Ratcliffe said it is too late for Mr Johnson to visit, and he added that Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe has requested a phone call from the PM.Lamiat Sabin13 November 2021 14:401636813251Corbyn made it ‘clear’ to Starmer he couldn’t have law jobJeremy Corbyn said that no one who was on his frontbench would have been allowed to take a second job.The former Labour leader’s comments come after it was reported that he stopped Sir Keir Starmer, who was shadow Brexit secretary, from taking a “lucrative” second job at law firm Mishcon de Reya in 2017.It also comes after reports have revealed that a number of Tory MPs have had more than one job.Mr Corbyn, whose whip was withdrawn last year by his successor Sir Keir over his comments relating to allegations of anti-semitism in Labour, spoke on LBC radio today.Sir Keir, a QC, had said that he had already turned down the offer before he was told he would not be allowed to accept it by Mr Corbyn’s team.Mr Corbyn told LBC: “Nobody who was in a frontbench position appointed by me would be allowed to take a second job of any sort … I made that clear to everybody including [Sir Keir].”He added that he thought it “reasonable” if MPs write articles or books “if it doesnt take over their lives completely.”Lamiat Sabin13 November 2021 14:201636812051Nazanin’s husband ends hunger strike on 21st dayRichard Ratcliffe has said he is ending his hunger strike 21 days after beginning the protest over his wife’s detention in Iran.Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national, has been in custody in Iran since 2016 after being accused of plotting to overthrow the government.Her husband – who was also on hunger strike in 2018 – said that he was ending the hunger strike outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office because of fears for his health.Mr Ratcliffe said he was starting to get pains in his feet overnight, and after talking to a doctor the decision was made to end the hunger strike. He said he plans to go to hospital to get checked out this afternoon before eating.Yesterday, Mr Ratcliffe said he was “deflated” and “outraged” that the government failed to state, in meetings held during his hunger strike, how it will secure his wife’s release.He had told the BBC that his talk with foreign minister James Cleverly felt like “a bit of a placebo”, and that ministers and officials “clammed up” during their meeting when the subject of a £400 million debt to Iran was raised.According to her family, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was told by Iranian authorities that she was being detained because of the UK’s failure to pay the outstanding amount.The debt was accrued when the UK cancelled Iran’s order for battle tanks after the 1979 Iranian revolution.Lamiat Sabin13 November 2021 14:001636810851Matt Hancock book idea ‘cashing in on Covid tragedy’Matt Hancock is considering an offer to write a memoir on his time as health secretary.Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said the idea that he could be allowed to “spin” his side of how he handled the Covid pandemic was “absolutely disgusting”, adding that it would be an “insult” to people who have lost family and friends to the virus.“You’d think the health secretary who presided over one of the worst death tolls in the world would have some humility or seek to reflect on the many lives lost, rather than try and cash in on the tragedy,” said Lobby Akinnola, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice.He added: “The fact that Matt Hancock thinks it’s appropriate for bereaved families to have to listen to his spin on their loved ones’ deaths, before the truth has come out via the inquiry, says it all about the attitude of the man.”Mr Hancock had quit the Cabinet earlier this year after he was exposed breaking Covid social distancing rules by having an affair with his aide at work.Read all the details here by Adam ForrestLamiat Sabin13 November 2021 13:401636809051Scottish Lib Dems urge minister to address sewage leaksScotland’s problem with raw sewage in rivers has emerged days after SNP MPs criticised the UK Government’s record.Data sourced by the Lib Dems stated that Scottish Water is presiding over an “unacceptably high” number of leaks.The utility firm’s figures show that in 2020 there were a total of 12,725 “spill events”, up 40 per cent on 2016.The Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for environment minister, Mairi McAllan MSP, to address parliament about Scotland’s 12,000 sewage leaks.The Scottish Lib Dems’ climate emergency spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said: “Just days after SNP MPs lambasted the UK Government for voting to allow raw sewage into rivers, it emerges that their Scottish Government has a very smelly problem of its own.“Neither the SNP nor the Conservatives can be trusted with Scotland’s waterways … The environment minister should come to Parliament to deliver a statement on what is being done to clear up this sewage leak crisis.”Reporting by PALamiat Sabin13 November 2021 13:101636806636Xmas lockdown restrictions ‘unlikely’ – Sage scientistProfessor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist and member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said he feels it is “unlikely” Covid restrictions will be needed this Christmas.The Imperial College London academic said modelling from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has indicated that expanding eligibility for the booster shots could help “drive down transmission to low levels”.The prediction comes after PM Boris Johnson warned yesterday that “storm clouds” of a new coronavirus wave are gathering over parts of Europe, as many countries – such as the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany – are preparing to tighten restrictions.New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has suggested infection levels are continuing to fall across the UK.The figures show about one in 60 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to November 6, down from one in 50 the previous week.In Wales, about one in 45 people is estimated to have had the virus in the week to November 6, down from one in 40 the previous week.In Northern Ireland, the figure is about one in 75 people, down from one in 65 the previous week, while in Scotland it is one in 85 – down from one in 80.Lamiat Sabin13 November 2021 12:301636804836Cummings and goings: ‘PM likes to exit No 10 unnoticed’Dominic Cummings has claimed that Boris Johnson uses a secret exit so that he can slip away from his office at 10 Downing Street.The former senior adviser made the claim about his former boss in an email newsletter he sent out on Friday.Mr Cummings, who resigned from his position in November 2020 after a fractious working relationship with the PM, said Mr Johnson had a new exit installed so he can “escape his office without outer office knowing”.Mr Johnson likes to leave his office, enter the Cabinet room, and then go “out those doors into the garden and away”, Mr Cummings reportedly said.The latest edition of his newsletter detailed an argument between him and Mr Johnson, in which the PM had insisted that his office does not have enough exits – the Daily Mail reports.Lamiat Sabin13 November 2021 12:001636803636Tories to pick North Shropshire by-election candidate Conservative members will today decide a candidate to contest next month’s by-election in North Shropshire.Owen Paterson has quit his seat in response to PM Boris Johnson’s U-turn on plans to change Parliamentary procedures to try to get the MP out of a predicament.It came after Mr Paterson was accused by Kathryn Stone, Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards, of “severe breaches” of MP lobbying rules after he was paid just over £10,000 in total for about 18 hours of work per month by two companies.In North Shropshire today, Tory members are to meet to decide which hopeful out of a shortlist of three people will go forward in the process to become the party’s candidate – according to the Shropshire Star.Shortlisted are Graeme Currie, who has contested the seat before, former MEP David Hallam, and Cllr Kuldip Sahota who is former leader of Telford and Wrekin Council.It is understood that there are around 400 members of the North Shropshire Conservative Association who would be eligible to vote.North Shropshire Constituency Labour Party is set to decide on its candidate tomorrow.Lamiat Sabin13 November 2021 11:401636802436Labour calls for law to crack shell companiesLabour is calling for a Bill to be brought forward that would list the true ownership of properties and assets in the UK.Pat McFadden, the shadow economic secretary to the Treasury, said that the government has promised and failed over nearly four years to bring forward the Registration of Overseas Entities Bill. He wrote in the Guardian: “Labour is today calling for the government to stop this prevarication, and to commit to bringing forward this legislation by 10 December 2021 – the fourth anniversary of the UK anti-corruption strategy, which in 2017 committed to bringing a draft bill in that session of parliament for the establishment of a public register of beneficial ownership of overseas legal entities.”Mr McFadden said that steps should also be taken to reform Companies House to tackle the use of shell companies to obscure the true ownership of companies and assets.He added: “Companies House must be empowered to become a vigilant guardian of propriety, not be left as a passive library of data.”The Wolverhampton South East MP said that Labour’s plan to set up an illicit finance taskforce would make the UK “the most difficult place possible to launder the proceeds of looting and kleptocracy.”Lamiat Sabin13 November 2021 11:201636801236Patel’s migrant ‘push-back’ plans hit by Home Office rulesHome secretary Priti Patel’s plan to force migrant boats back into French waters has been thrown into doubt by complex rules imposed by the Home Office to prevent violations of international law.The Independent reports that any push-back operations using Border Force staff on jet-skis would have to meet numerous conditions, including the presence of French authorities to receive vessels.But a letter to Ms Patel from her French counterpart earlier this year says the “use of maritime refoulements to French territorial waters would risk having a negative impact on our cooperation”.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said: “This is a clear sign of desperation from the home secretary because of her failure to grip this crisis. She must take responsibility, show leadership and change course.”Here’s home affairs correspondent Lizzie Dearden with the full storyLamiat Sabin13 November 2021 11:00 More

Priti Patel’s plan to force migrant boats back into French waters has been thrown into doubt by complex rules imposed by the Home Office to prevent violations of international law.The Independent understands that any push-back operations would have to meet numerous conditions, including the presence of French authorities to receive vessels.But Paris has suggested it will not cooperate with the plans, with a letter to Ms Patel from her French counterpart earlier this year saying the “use of maritime refoulements to French territorial waters would risk having a negative impact on our cooperation”.It comes after the number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel hit a new daily record of 1,185 on Thursday, following rocketing attempts since the home secretary vowed to make the route “unviable” in August 2020.Official legal advice that was leaked this week suggested that government lawyers believe that any push-backs will be met by legal challenges, and the Home Office is likely to lose.When questioned about the legality of the planned operations last month, Ms Patel said a “framework” had been drawn up but admitted: “There is a narrow basis for the operationalisation of this tactic.”Labour accused the home secretary of “blaming everyone but herself” for unprecedented numbers of people risking their lives to cross the English Channel.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said: “Labour has called out the push-back technique as unconscionable and wrong-headed. It is unsurprising that government lawyers believe the technique would not be considered legal if brought to a court challenge, and yet the home secretary persists with it.“This is a clear sign of desperation from the home secretary because of her failure to grip this crisis. She must take responsibility, show leadership and change course.”The Independent understands that rules drawn up for Border Force mean that targeted boats have to be in a designated portion of the English Channel, and to have reached that area independently without being led or coerced.The vessels must be assessed by drone to look for numerous signs of “vulnerability” that The Independent has decided not to publish.People crossing Channel are ‘not genuine asylum seekers’ and just want to stay in hotels, Priti Patel saysIf a dinghy enters the push-back area meeting all of those criteria, the Border Force will still have to back off if the situation deteriorates.Crucially, French authorities have to be present during a push-back operation and be willing to receive the boat.A House of Commons library briefing published in September said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea allows countries to prevent passage to prohibit smuggling, or breaching immigration rules, “but any return of a vessel to a state’s territorial waters would require that state’s consent”.A letter from French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, in September said its position on rescue operations in the Channel remained unchanged and “safeguarding human lives at sea takes priority over considerations of nationality, status and migratory policy”.He added: “The use of maritime refoulements to French territorial waters would risk having a negative impact on our cooperation.”An official from the ISU union, which represents Border Force staff, said the “very strong view of staff is that push-backs are never going to happen”.“The constraints on when this would occur at all are so tight that we simply do not believe there will be a situation where this will ever happen,” Lucy Moreton told The Independent.“Even if we could identify a suitable vessel we would still need the French there, in a situation where the French say they won’t do it because they don’t think it’s legal.” More

Conservative MP Matt Hancock is considering an offer to write a book focusing on his time as health secretary during the Covid pandemic.Campaigners who lost ones to the virus condemned the idea that Mr Hancock – who quit as minister after he was found breaking Covid rules by kissing his aide at work – could be allowed to “spin” his story before a public inquiry.“You’d think the health secretary who presided over one of the worst death tolls in the world would have some humility or seek to reflect on the many lives lost, rather than try and cash in on the tragedy,” Lobby Akinnola, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, told The Independent.He added: “The fact that Matt Hancock thinks it’s appropriate for bereaved families to have to listen to his spin on their loved ones’ deaths, before the truth has come out via the inquiry, says it all about the attitude of the man.”Labour said the idea that Mr Hancock could be allowed to cash in on his pandemic role by penning a book was “absolutely disgusting” and “an insult to bereaved families”.The party’s deputy leader Angela Rayner urged Boris Johnson to “step in and stop Matt Hancock cashing in on tragedy and failure”.Ms Rayner tweeted: “It is absolutely disgusting that Matt Hancock gets to put his spin on events – and his failures – for a bumper pay day before bereaved families get the truth about the government’s failures and mishandling of the pandemic in a public inquiry.”The former cabinet minister has reportedly been in talks with a top publisher over a lucrative tell-all memoir about rows in government and his role in the UK’s vaccine rollout.Mr Hancock confirmed he had been asked to consider a book deal. “I have been approached to write a book, but no decisions have been made,” he told the Daily Mail.The newspaper claimed that the MP is keen to portray himself in a “heroic” light, citing sources saying he wants to “get his version of events out there” before the public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic begins in spring 2022.The MP’s spokesperson told The Independent no deal had been agreed with a publisher. “Matt has been approached to write a book about his experiences in the pandemic, but no decisions have been made. There is no deal.”Responding to the “heroic” claim, Mr Hancock’s spokesperson added: “The people who were heroic during the pandemic were the NHS staff who worked round the clock to save lives.”Mr Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings has accused Mr Hancock of “criminal, disgraceful behaviour that caused serious harm” during the pandemic, arguing that he should have been fired for “15 to 20” different things.But the ex-health secretary rejected a series of allegations made by Mr Cummings – denying that he ever lied to the prime minister about Covid patients being discharged from hospitals into care homes.Mr Hancock resigned in June, shortly after leaked CCTV footage showed him kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo at his departmental office in breach of Covid rules.Ms Rayner suggested the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) – which advises former MPs who have recently stepped down what sort of activities they can and cannot carry out – should look at whether the potential book deal is appropriate.If Acoba fails to act then No 10 should stop Mr Hancock from writing a book, she added. “If the toothless and ineffective Acoba won’t block this then Boris Johnson needs to step in and stop Matt Hancock cashing in on tragedy and failure,” said the Labour deputy.Mr Akinnola urged the publisher who approached Mr Hancock “to reconsider paying a large cheque for a story that will inevitably cause pain and hurt for those of us who have lost loved ones”.He added: “Families have a right to hear about the decisions that have changed their lives forever in an inquiry, not a tell-all memoir.” More